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Motifs
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Personification
Explanation and Analysis—The Word:
Throughout Atonement, characters put substantial stock into the use and meaning of individual words. This motif is especially associated with Briony, who fixates on the power that specific words can have on the people who read and hear them. Throughout the first part, the narrator alludes to certain words by actively avoiding using them. Combining the motif of forbidden words with personification and metaphor, McEwan reproduces children's view of language.
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Personification
Explanation and Analysis—Divorce:
Over the course of the novel, particularly the first part, McEwan describes the world through the perspective of young people. In certain instances, the narrator abstracts ideas and concepts that children do not fully understand. McEwan describes one such concept—divorce—through layers of metaphor and personification in order to simulate how children might conceive of it. Through this figurative language, divorce becomes both a forbidden word and an abstract idea.
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Part 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Fountain:
In the novel's first part, the Triton fountain—an allusion to Bernini's Fontana del Tritone in Rome—consistently exists in the background. McEwan uses personification and simile to develop the fountain motif, imbuing it with an ambiguous presence.
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Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—Fountain:
In the novel's first part, the Triton fountain—an allusion to Bernini's Fontana del Tritone in Rome—consistently exists in the background. McEwan uses personification and simile to develop the fountain motif, imbuing it with an ambiguous presence.
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Related Themes:
